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You can mark an incident as a duplicate directly from Slack using a simple slash command. This helps consolidate related incidents quickly and keep responders aligned in a single source of truth.
This operation links the current incident to a canonical incident via duplicate_incident_id.
This is separate from sub-incidents, which use parent_incident_id.

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Mark a Duplicate in Slack

In any incident Slack channel, type: 
/rootly dup
or 
/rootly duplicate
Slack duplicate modal
A modal opens allowing you to select the original incident and configure cancellation options.
The Slack modal includes:
  • Assign to Incident — search for the canonical incident
  • Auto Cancel Current Incident — optional toggle (on by default)
  • Summary (reason for cancellation) — optional free text, added to the timeline
Slack enforces the same permissions as the web interface.
You must be able to update the incident to mark it as a duplicate.

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What Happens After Submission

When you confirm the duplicate:
  • The current incident is linked to the selected original incident
  • A non-editable timeline entry is created
  • Slack posts a confirmation message in the duplicate’s channel (if applicable)
  • If Auto Cancel is enabled:
    • The duplicate is cancelled
    • Alerts attached to the duplicate are resolved automatically
    • Slack posts a “Duplicate incident detected” message
Rootly also updates Slack summaries and workflows that rely on incident lifecycle changes.

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Best Practices

  • Run the command from the incident channel
    Slack automatically associates the action with the incident the channel is tied to.
  • Use the canonical incident with the most context
    Choose the incident that contains the most accurate investigation details or customer-facing messaging.
  • Provide a clear cancellation summary
    This helps responders understand why context moved and assists retrospectives.
  • Auto-cancel when appropriate
    This prevents duplicate incidents from remaining open and triggering unnecessary automations.
  • Avoid marking scheduled maintenance as duplicates
    Slack prevents this automatically, since maintenance incidents follow different lifecycle rules.

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Troubleshooting

You must run /rootly dup inside a Rootly incident Slack channel.
The command will not work in normal or private Slack channels.
Possible reasons:
  • You do not have update permissions on the incident
  • The incident is a scheduled maintenance incident (duplicates are disallowed)
  • The incident is already marked as a duplicate
Slack only shows incidents you have permission to view.
Private or restricted incidents may not appear unless you have the required access.
Common causes:
  • Auto-cancel was toggled off
  • The incident was already cancelled
  • Slack permissions prevented cancellation
  • Workflow or feature flags restricting cancellation were active
This can occur when:
  • Slack is not integrated or connected for your team
  • The duplicate incident has no Slack channel
  • Notifications are suppressed by workspace settings